Expanding access to HIV testing through Canadian community pharmacies: findings from the APPROACH study.

ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND:There is a need for acceptable and feasible HIV testing options to ensure people living with HIV know their status so they can access care. Pharmacist-provided HIV point-of-care testing (POCT) may overcome testing barriers, including privacy concerns, testing wait times, and improve accessibility. In the APPROACH study, we aimed to develop and assess an HIV POCT program in community pharmacies for future scale up and evaluation. This paper describes the program uptake, participant and pharmacist experiences, and implementation factors. METHODS:A pharmacist-provided HIV POCT program was offered in 4 pharmacies in two Canadian provinces. A mixed methods design incorporated self-report questionnaire data, participant telephone interviews, pharmacist focus groups, workload analysis,

SUBMITTER: Kelly DV 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7203868 | biostudies-literature | 2020 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature